Chapter 3
Sofia had a planned phone conversation with Aunt Janet at eleven that morning.
Amanda had volunteered to take Miss Lillian to her weekly hair appointment so that Sofia would have privacy.
Lilian went into her room to change before they went to the salon.
It was a task she insisted on doing herself, although Amanda was often called in to assist her.
In two days, the ninety-four-year-old and the nineteen-year-old had become buddies.
A couple of generations separated them, but they had a great deal in common.
Miss Lillian wore mostly sensible clothes, but as a young woman, she loved fashion.
Amanda didn’t seem to like anything but black, but she had a secret love for all the latest trends.
They started taking trips to the thrift store.
Miss Lillian was in her bedazzled wheelchair when they went out on the town, as she called it.
Amanda wore her clunky black shoes and pushed her along to stores, cafes, and galleries along the Embarcadero.
They made quite the pair and had folks smiling when they saw them.
Sofia spoke with Janet about not expecting to find Miss Lillian in the back room.
Janet was shocked, too, and they both realized she had escaped from the retirement facility.
Help from the outside was necessary, and Janet would figure that out when she returned in September.
Miss Lillian had many contacts in Morro Bay, and she could be very convincing when she needed to be.
Janet left it up to Sofia whether to demand Miss Lillian return to the facility or allow her to stay for the summer.
Sofia said she would think about it, but she knew deep down that she would let her stay.
Miss Lillian came into the kitchen with her trusty walker. “Well, how do I look?”
"That's what I'm talking about. The shade of lipstick is so much better than the frosted peach shade you were wearing. The denim jacket brings everything together, and rolling up your khakis to show your ankles was the right move," Amanda said.
"She told me to show off my assets, and at my age, most of them have faded except my shapely ankles," Miss Lillian said to Sofia.
"Having Amanda here has taken ten years off my age, and I'll probably start telling people I'm eighty-five.
If laughter truly is the best medicine, I'll never die as long as she's here. "
“We’ll make a stop at the thrift store before coming home. I’m thinking a new necklace would go great with the teal cardigan you often wear. You let me know if you’re too tired after the salon because we can always do it another time.”
“We’re going to the salon?” Miss Lillian asked. She was having one of her memory lapses that Amanda handled seamlessly. It was a signal that perhaps the salon would be enough activity for one day.
Sofia asked Amanda to follow her into the next room. "I've never seen this side of you. I'm pleasantly surprised to say the least. What motivates you to help Miss Lillian so much?”
"She doesn't expect anything of me. I teach her things, and when I do, she thanks me for taking the time and having so much patience.
Listening to her is like a history lesson, but from a professor I actually like," Amanda said.
"Feeling appreciated and necessary aren't things I often feel in my everyday life.
Young people are often overlooked, and our opinions don't matter.
Miss Lillian needs me, and I need her, which makes for the best surprise I've had in a long time. "
"Wow, okay. I wasn't expecting that. You were meant to be here together. If you feel burned out, let me know. Janet sent me some cash for taking care of Miss Lillian. I'm going to send it on to you since you've earned it," Sofia said.
"It feels weird taking money for something I'd happily do for free, but thanks.
She loves it when I bring her home thrift-store treasures, and she adores French fries, too.
Miss Lillian prefers the Golden Arches, which I have to drive to, and I bring her along.
She gets a kick out of the drive-thru," Amanda said.
"I can't wait to share this with Janet and your father.
" Sofia noticed Amanda frown when she mentioned her father, Kenny.
His absence in her life was never far from her mind.
All it took was a mention, and everything that happened ten years ago came back to her mind.
He had twenty more years to go on his prison sentence, and until his release, a black cloud would hang over Amanda.
Miss Lillian banged her walker on the ground, signaling her desire to leave. The dogs barked loudly when they heard it, so Amanda and Sofia stopped talking. It was time to get on with the day.
Finally, the phone rang. Janet was rarely on time, and Sofia came to accept it as part of her. Her call was only an hour late, which wasn’t bad for Janet.
“Hello! How is life in Africa?” Sofia asked. She didn’t mention her tardiness since it was ingrained in who Janet was.
"Hot but joyful. The people in the village where I'm living have so little but are happy.
They wake up with a smile on their faces, and it remains there until they lay their heads down at night.
I'm motivated every day to help these people because they're so deserving," Janet said. "How is Morro Bay life?"
"It hasn't been long, but I'm enjoying being away from Pacifica for the summer. I love it there, and the weather isn't much different, but I needed to distance myself. Anywhere begins to feel stale after a long time. When you asked me to dog sit, I didn't know how badly I needed to get away."
"How's Miss Lillian? I feel bad about that, and if I knew she was going to be there, I would have made other plans," Janet said.
"Don't be silly. I don't have to lift a finger because she and Amanda have become two peas in a pod.
You'd have to see it to believe it. I was happy to take Amanda away for the summer so she could experience something different than hanging with the same crowd.
None of them is too bad, but they don't seem like a motivated crew," Sofia said.
"I was raised in Oakland, and I know exactly what you're talking about.
My friends were good, law-abiding people, but none of us had a goal in life apart from just hanging out.
Laziness is contagious. My eyes opened up when I left for college in LA, and the rest is history," Janet said.
"Have you read my email about the Triple B Gals? "
"I did, and it sounds like a book club. I left the one I was in at home because it was nothing more than a gossip forum.
After a few glasses of wine, the comments became downright mean.
These were good, smart women, but being in a group like that didn't sit well with me.
Don't get me wrong, I gossiped, too, and am not proud of it. "
"Nope, this isn't that. It's a group of women who will read a book if they all agree on it, which rarely happens.
The second 'B' is for beach cleanup, which they do when needed, and the third 'B' is for bubbly.
They crack open a bottle when there's something to celebrate.
Seltzer is always an option because there are a couple of recovering alcoholics in the group. "
"Sounds like a women's support group," Sofia said. "I'm over talking about my grief journey. My feelings about Vince are my own again, and I don't feel like sharing."
"I know that, and that's not all that defines you. You've been a single mother with a career, and maybe you've had your first hot flash. A lot of different things define who you are, and that's ever-changing. Be careful not to define yourself that way," Janet warned.
"Yeah, sounds like I should give it a try.
It's the list of bachelors that I have a real problem with.
I've had success on my own and don't need introductions to every single man in Morro Bay.
I spoke with Lottie, and she told me that you gave her the same list. Why don't you take a dose of your own medicine?
Instead of running all over the globe, why not do the sensible thing and get married? " Sofia asked jokingly.
"Okay, smarty pants. You do you, but don't come crying to me when you're seventy-five and single," Janet said with a laugh.
"Give my boys a belly scratch for Miss Lillian, and give me a kiss.
Texts are the best way to reach me because they might not go through right away, but I'll get them eventually. Thanks again for your help with Lillian, Oscar, and Otto.”
Otto liked chasing a stick, and he had the energy to swim out and fetch it as far as Sofia could throw it into the bay.
He dropped it at the shore, where Oscar picked it up and brought it back to Sofia.
It was like a relay that worked perfectly because Otto loved the water, and Oscar was a landlubber.
The dogs complemented each other and were a true bonded pair.
It was a lot like she was with Vince. Sofia didn't like doing laundry, and it turned out he did.
He loved separating it and being challenged by a tricky stain.
She loved pizza but never ate the crust, which was Vince's favorite part.
Sofia was good at small talk at parties, and he liked to stick with people he knew well.
Vince rolled up his sleeves and got to work in a crisis.
She tended to panic. Their Yin and Yang were a superpower as a couple.
“Excuse me, I’m Sage Flynn. Are those Janet’s dogs?” a woman asked. She was walking her dog as well. It was a long-haired dachshund.
"Yes, I'm her niece, Sofia, and I'm house-sitting for her while she's away for the summer."
She brightened. "She mentioned you'd be here. Welcome to Morro Bay. You have your hands full with these guys," Sage said, referring to the dogs. "Miss Lillian is back, I hear, and that must add to your responsibilities, although she's been seen with her new caregiver."
"The caregiver is Amanda, who's my niece, whom I’m raising. She's with me for the summer. Do you know who helped spring Miss Lillian from the extended care facility?"
“I know nothing,” Sage said.
“I have a feeling you know something but aren’t saying,” Sofia said with a smile.
“These things are never accomplished by just one person. I have an idea, but I don’t want to incriminate the wrong person or persons,” Sage said wryly.
"I get it, no harm, and no foul. We took her to the doctor and made sure she didn't leave any medications behind. Miss Lillian is remarkably healthy for a woman her age. Janet probably told you a thing or two about me. I hope she didn't paint me as a weeping widow," Sophia said.
"If she did, I didn't pay any attention. I recall her talking about the loss of her niece's husband over five years ago," Sage said.
"It was actually ten years ago, and sometimes it feels like five.
There are other times it feels like twenty years ago or as if it were all just a dream.
I took that part of my life back from public consumption since I got tired of people asking how I was doing," Sofia said.
She laughed and shook her head. "I'm not talking like it's private.
I hardly know you, and I can't shut up."
"No, I get it because I lost my husband to stomach cancer fifteen years ago.
I've since remarried, and that's a curiosity to some people. I'm asked all the time how I managed to move on so quickly. There’s no handbook on when it’s acceptable to move on romantically, and I just did what felt right for me.
I get where you're coming from. I must give off a vibe that it's safe to talk to me. "
“You do seem safe, and that’s a good thing. You wouldn’t happen to be a member of the Triple B Gals. Would you?” Sofia asked.
"Yes, and ‘member’ is a tricky word because we don't require that you join. We don’t have rules, a club president, or anything that might turn someone off. There’s no judgment and no topic off-limits.
I'll see what's up this month and give you a call.
Has Janet presented you with her list of bachelors? "
"She has, but I find it a little odd if not insulting," Sofia said.
"I thought the same thing but tried it anyway.
I ended up marrying the second man on the list. We just celebrated our fifth anniversary.
I know one thing: Janet doesn't mean it as an insult.
She's only concerned about making those around her happy, and at times her methods miss the mark, but most of the time they work," Sage said.
"My little dog is about to fall over from exhaustion, but I'll be in touch. "
Sofia and Sage exchanged numbers, and Sofia was convinced to at least contact one of the men on the list. If Sage found her husband on the list, there may have been something to it.